Just wanted to give a brief update on the whirlwind that is my life in the video games industry. Back in March I started working for Level-5 IA and got engaged! Between planning the wedding, work and trying to further sharpen my C# knowledge, I haven't had as much time to blog or do as much research as I would have liked. Though I plan on getting back into blogging regularly, it will be some time until I'm able to get around to it again. Until then I found another Game Design blog which I think is excellent, Stanislav 'Farlander' Costiuc. He goes really in depth into design concepts and does videos which are easy to follow. Check him out!

Aside from that I'm preparing for E3. I'll be going all three days this year! So if you're going or just in the area feel free to reach out and we can grab a bite or get coffee.

Oh! And don't forget to check back here as well from time to time! I'll be back soon enough.

Whoa! Time does fly! It’s already been a few years since I started this blog. Just like last year, I’m doing a 2016 year in review! Today I’d like to take a look back at some of my favorite post from the last year.

I’d like to highlight three articles which I believe are my best work of the year. Additionally, I’d like to give an honorable mention to one of the most exciting moments of my year.

1. Pokemon GO! Series

Okay, I know I’m cheating right out of the gate but technically I think these should be highlighted as a group. In this four part series, we start by understanding the basic functionality and mechanics of Pokemon Go. In part two, we discuss gym battles and the problems plaguing them. Part 3 is one of my most popular posts of the year, it deals with how Pokemon are distributed and located around the planet. We finish up discussing the economy of Pokemon go and how it affects the players.

2. Game Design Analysis – Disney Magic Kingdoms

This analysis breaks down the game Disney Magic Kingdoms. We discuss everything from the basic mechanics and to quest functionality to the economy and rewards. This is one of the most popular pieces on the site today.

3. The Dark Zone Versus the Prisoner’s Dilemma

This piece discusses the Division, more specifically the dark zone and how it relates to the Prisoner’s Dilemma. This is the piece I’ve had more comments and heat over than any other piece I’ve written.

Honorable mention:

Boss Battle Gamecast Guest – Ep. 48

This was an exciting opportunity for me! I had the honor of being a guest on the Boss Battle Gamescast. We discussed the industry, what I’m up to now and so much more. Check it out when you get some time!

If you don't have time to stream it now, feel free to download it for future listening at the Raptor cow website HERE

With that said I’d like to thank you. Your comments have helped me to improve these posts. I’d like to give an extra big thank you to everyone who stuck around since 2015. I know I haven’t been the most active over the course of the last few months. I appreciate your patience and thank you for sticking around. I’ll be doing more posts in the New Year and I should have some big news in the coming months. I hope you had an excellent 2015 and that 2016 will be even better.

I’ll see you guys next time,

Scott

P.S. If you're new (Welcome!) and wanted to check out 2015's year in review it can be found HERE

We’re taking it easy this week, as I wanted to try something new after that marathon of Pokémon Go posts. As a result, I’m taking the week off to learn a little bit about video editing to see what I can pull together in place of a blog post. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have a new post up next week anyways. I’ll just break down it into my usual analysis style post instead.

To prepare for next week, I’d love to hear your thoughts on excellent and memorable boss designs. I’ll be looking into Destiny’s Darkblade boss fight, and I want to compare it to other strike bosses within Destiny.